


Lil’ Demon, Don’t Worry Too Much

by Loki_ate_my_pudding



Series: Demons? Not in My Workplace! (Jk, they’re in the workplace) [1]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Confused Shane, Demon Eugene, Demon Ned, Demon Shane Madej, Protective Ryan, Sad, Shane is new to Earth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 15:57:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15585432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loki_ate_my_pudding/pseuds/Loki_ate_my_pudding
Summary: Shane was the least harmful demon anyone would imagine. He was hardly even a demon, acting more like a human that helped old people across the street and volunteered at Food Banks. He was adored by all the other demons.Then he ended up in Earth, and everything changed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little sad because Shane is just a confused, soft demon boi who doesn’t understand why his dad (Lucifer) doesn’t want him in hell anymore.  
> Essentially, Shane has severe anxiety, and demons are forced to do what they do by Lucifer. Lucifer doesn’t like his mistake named Shane, so he banishes him.  
> The first chapter is getting to know the soft demon.

Shane never truly understood why the other demons in hell loved him so much. 

He never got why they hugged him so tight and told him to never change, he never understood why they came back looking frazzled and lightened up when they saw him, waiting for them with a smile and some new history fact he’d read in a book. They loved coming back to him, a happy, bubbly guy who just wanted to make everyone around him smile. 

Maybe Lucifer overheard the others talking about Shane, their words borderline caring and showing him that they were weak. Weakness wasn’t welcome in hell. Not here. Maybe he overheard the simple, “he’s so pure. I hope he stays that way.” And became so infuriated, he did what he did. 

It was horrible for Shane, the demon made to stand before Lucifer in front of his family, all the other demons. He felt tears in his eyes before Lucifer actually even spoke. 

“So, I see that I must’ve made a mistake somewhere along the lines of raising you.” He said, towering over the tall demon. Shane scrunched in on himself, his wings folding against his body in shame. The other demons cringed, feeling horrible for Shane. “It’s so sad, seeing that you’ve gone to waste.” 

Shane didn’t speak, his lip quivering as Lucifer spoke. He couldn’t help it. He just wanted everyone to be happy. 

“None of that here, though, boy. We’re a strong race, and we will not stand for a weak chain in the link.” Lucifer spoke. He shivered at the words. “I see what you’ve done to the others. You’re changing us. So I need to stop it. You see? You’re just not meant to be here.” 

Lucifer cane forward, hooking his finger under Shane’s chin and forcing his head up. “I simply must just stop you, Shane.” 

“P-please don’t, I don’t wanna go, sir, please!” Shane whimpered, looking at Lucifer with fear in his eyes. 

The others watched, hiding the tears that threatened to fall as they watched little Shane cry. 

“This is precisely why you must go.” Lucifer said. “No need for you, now. With your buds for horns and your short body and small wings, you’re no use to us anyhow.” 

Shane let out a small sob, and Lucifer smirked sickeningly. “Simply, you’re banished. To Earth. See ya on the flip side, kid.” 

And with a snap of his fingers, the demons around them watched with sad eyes as Shane disappeared with a small cry, and all that was left was his favorite history book that he took everywhere with him. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Earth, to Shane, was very different than hell was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shane is still pretty tall in the human world, but to demons, his short. They’re all taller than he is.

Shane didn’t know how he ended up in a bed. He also didn’t know how he got Ill-fitting clothes on.

To say he was freaking out was an understatement. 

The clothes felt scratchy on his pale skin, the light from the windows seemed to be too much the smell of breakfast food and hearing sizzling from down the hall made his head throb painfully. He quickly recognized the feeling, though. It’d once been part of training, back home, when they’d tried to make Shane normal like the others but failed, always stopping whatever they were doing the second he seemed to freak out. 

They called it an attack back home, sometimes Eugene called it a “Double A.” Shane didn’t know what that meant, though. 

He felt his breaths come in panicky, catching in his throat every few seconds. He spoke to himself to calm himself down, peeling the shirt off and nuzzling into the blankets, wrapping himself in the soft fabric and enclosing himself in it. 

Shane somehow managed to calm himself down before a knock came on the door. He sat up, instantly nervous again. A smaller guy peaked his head in, seeing Shane awake and smiling weakly. 

“Hey! You’re awake!” He said, coming in the whole way. He was short, so much shorter than anyone Shane had ever seen before. His hair was dark black, matching his almost black eyes. He was tan, and he smiled at Shane. “Are you feeling okay? You were passed out on my porch, I didn’t know if you were okay or not.” 

“Wh-who are you?” Shane managed to get out, looking at the guy with pure terror in his face. 

“Oh! Sorry, I’m Ryan Bergara.” He smiled, holding his hand out for Shane. Shane hesitantly took his hand and shook it. 

“‘M Shane Madej.” He said softly, looking at Ryan curiously. “Why are you so short?” 

“What? I’m the average height for guys!” Ryan sighed heavily. “Why are you so tall?” 

“I’m not. Everyone calls me little all the time.” Shane said, forgetting entirely that he wasn’t home. Then it hit him that he wasn’t. He frowned a little. “Oh. Never mind.” 

Ryan wanted to press him for answers, curious about the tall guy who looked way too skinny to be healthy. “So, why were you passed out on my porch?” 

“Well, uh..” Shane rubbed the back of his neck. Ryan watched him curiously for a moment. “What’s your job?” He changed the subject quickly. 

“I work for a place called buzzfeed. I make videos about supernatural things and I go to locations to find evidence of ghosts and demons. Why were you on my porch?” He asked again, and Shane felt the terror settle in his gut. 

Ryan was one of those people. The ones that sent his family back home, looking hurt and scared. “I don’t know.” He answered. 

Ryan looked at him with suspicion in his eyes, gripping something behind his back and suddenly scaring Shane by whipping out a water gun. He pressed the trigger, and Shane felt pain on his skin. 

He cried out, quickly trying to dry the holy water off his pale flesh. “S-stop!” 

And for some reason, Ryan did. He stared at Shane, the gun still pointed at him with squinted eyes. “You look scared.” He said softly. 

“Because you just burned me for no reason!” Shane cried, shaking with anxiety and slight pain from the burns. 

“You’re a demon!” Ryan countered, throwing his hands up. 

“A demon that got banished from hell, yeah!” Shane responded, looking at Ryan with wide eyes. Ryan lowered the gun. 

“You- you got banished?” 

“Yes. Lucifer said I was too weak. I held everyone back and I wasn’t what he wanted so he made me go away.” She answered honestly, as if there was nothing wrong with it. Ryan looked slightly angry. 

“He banished you because you were weak in his eyes?” He questioned. Shane nodded. “That’s fucked.” 

Shane tilted his head in confusion. 

“Like, it’s shitty that he did that to you. You didn’t do anything wrong, you’re just being you, right?” Ryan asked, and Shane nodded. 

“That’s why I was on your porch I think. I ended up there when he banished me.” 

And Ryan never knew he’d have sympathy for a demon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eugene refers to his “attacks” as Double A’s, meaning anxiety attacks. 
> 
> Shane just has a very very severe case of Anxiety, which I relate to. He used to carry around his history book to distract himself from things that made him anxious.


	3. Chapter 3

Shane took two weeks getting used to Ryan Bergara and all that came along with him. 

Two weeks to not jump when toast popped out of the toaster, and to figure out the shower, and to not open the door when Ryan wasn’t home. To Ryan, it was like having a child. 

But after those two weeks of uncertainty, clingy Shane swooped in. He didn’t leave Ryan’s side at all when Ryan was home, only to sleep and go to the bathroom. Even at night, sometimes, Shane would slip into Ryan’s bed and curl up next to him. 

This confused the shorter guy to no end. 

He’d been investigating demon infestations for his whole career, never finding any proof, and when he finally did, it came in the form of the “runt” (Shane called himself), a cuddly, scared demon that couldn’t hurt a fly. 

It made him think during work instead of doing his work. Made him think about what demons were really like. It made him question lots of things about them. 

What if they’re just good liars and Shane was playing him? 

What if Shane was really outcasted by the rest of them? 

What if demons had mental illnesses just like humans did? 

Could demons suffer trauma just like humans could? 

Ryan thought too much for his own good, and got to googling tests for mental illnesses like anxiety and depression, printing out the papers and researching stuff about telling if one was traumatized or abused in the past. He wondered if Shane was more like a human than a demon. 

Ryan pushed his chair back against the wood floor, the scrapping sound echoing through the buzzfeed office. No one heard, their headphones covering their ears as the edited. He slipped into the copying room and gathered all the papers he’d printed. 

Zach, one of his co-workers slid into the room, holding a coffee. “Ryan? You seem really tense. Are you alright?” He questioned, looking curiously at his friend. Ryan straightened his papers and nodded. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, Zach.” He smiled. Zac looked unconvinced. 

“Alright.., do you want to go out with me and Keith after work? We’re grabbing some drinks.” He offered, hopeful eyes behind his glasses. Ryan hesitated. 

He wanted to say yes. He needed a good drink after the last two weeks of stress with handling Shane in his apartment. He wanted to so bad, but he remembered Shane back at home. How confused he’d be if Ryan didn’t come home when he usually did. 

“I, Well, I really should just get home-“ 

“Come on, man. You haven’t gone out with us in weeks! We miss you.” Zach said, giving Ryan those puppy eyes that no one could resist. Ryan caved. 

“I guess, but only for a short while. I’d like to get home at a decent time tonight.” He said, and Zach’s face brightened up. 

“Great! We’ll meet you outside the office when you get off?” Zach offered, and Ryan nodded. 

He felt guilty in advance, going back to his desk and placing the stack of papers in his backpack to take back home. 

Work went on as usual, nothing new aside from his tapping foot at the guilt of leaving Shane behind for a few extra hours. That was all, he convinced himself, just one or two hours alone, it’ll be fine. 

And when it came down to it, Ryan really did try hard to not spend too long at the bar. He didn’t mean to take three hours, only over two beers with his friends, who’d been drinking way more than him. When he checked his watch, his eyes practically bulged out of his head. “Shit, guys, I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you on Monday.” He said, slapping down a twenty on the table and leaving. 

He took a cab back to his house, where the lights were all off and his door was locked still. He frowned, guilt washing over him like a tidal wave.

Ryan snatched his key out of his pocket and unlocked the door quickly, gripping the straps of his backpack. It was only 8:30PM, the sun hadn’t even set yet, but the house seemed incredibly dark and way to silent. 

He shut the door behind him, and set his backpack on the table with the keys. Ryan swallowed down his guilt and called out Shane’s name quietly. “Shane?” 

He didn’t hear anything, no response to the name, and he frowned deeply. What if Shane left? What if he ran away and Ryan would never see him again? He made his way through the house, finding all the rooms except for his own empty. 

He checked his last, slowly opening the door and finding Shane. He let out a breath of relief, the demon curled up on his bed, clutching his pillow. His eyes were closed, wings draped over himself with the blanket pulled up to the base of them. Little snores escaped his lips as he clutched the pillow tighter in his sleep. 

Ryan felt his heart melt in his chest at the sight as he toed off his shoes and changed in the bathroom into comfortable sleep clothes. He carefully slid into his bed as to not disturb Shane, but the demons eyes opened slowly the second Ryan layed down. 

“Ryan?” He asked sleepily, yawning as he tried to open his eyes wider. He sat up a little. 

“Yeah, Shane, it’s me. You can go back to sleep, you don’t have to get up.” Ryan said, watching Shane. Shane shrugged. 

“You weren’t here.” He mumbled sadly, looking at Ryan with worry in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

”I’m fine, Shane, I was out with some friends after work.” Ryan said, and Shane nodded a little, still sitting up. “Are you?” 

“I was scared.” Shane said softly, hands in his lap. Ryan propped himself up on his elbow. 

“You were scared? Of what?” He questioned, watching the demon pick at his nails. He swatted his hands away from each other. “Don’t do that, you’ll get infected hang nails.” 

“That you wouldn’t come back.” Shane replied honestly, looking at Ryan. 

Ryan held his heart throb, a frown settling on his face. “Shane, I’m not gonna leave you, okay?” 

Shane nodded a little, still hesitant. 

“I promise. Can you do something for me?” Ryan asked him, and Shane nodded. “In my backpack on the kitchen table, there’s some papers that are labeled ‘tests’. Can you take those when you wake up? You’re always up before me.” 

Shane nodded again, and Ryan got comfortable. He started to get off the bed when Ryan asked him what he was doing. 

“I’m going to my room..” Shane answered quietly, a blanket draped across his shoulders. 

“You can sleep in here if you want to.” Ryan offered, looking a little awkward. Shane grinned widely and came back to his bed, getting in and cuddling up to Ryan. 

“Thank you.” 

“For?” 

“Caring.” 

Ryan’s heart aches for Shane that night. 


	4. Chapter 4

When Ryan woke up, Shane wasn’t next to him. Instead, a stack of filled out papers was beside him. Ryan smiled softly to himself, propping up on his elbow. 

He took his time reading through the papers, analyzing all of Shane’s answers to the simple questions he remembered being asked as a kid himself. Generally, every year high school students took health, they took mental illness tests. It sucked.  

Shane’s answers for depression tests came back normal to him, nothing out of the ordinary. He frowned at the rest, though, the tests showing off his obvious anxious behavior. Ryan felt horrible for the guy, who seemed to be mistreated by someone. 

He sat up, sliding out of his bed to find Shane to talk to him. “Shane?” He called, hearing rustling in the kitchen. 

Shane held a carton of strawberries with a guilty smile. “I was hungry.” 

“That’s fine, Shane. You can eat, I just wanna talk with you.” Ryan offered, and Shane nodded. He sat at the table, carefully carving the stem and leaves off the berries with a sharp knife. “Careful with that.” 

Shane nodded and looked up at Ryan. “You wanted to talk?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I just wanted to say something.” Ryan answered. “You know what anxiety is?” 

“Yeah, back home Eugene used to say I had the worst he’d seen.” Shane answered, and Ryan realized that Shane didn’t have much of a filter. “He taught me a couple things to help with it, I carried around a big history book to distract myself from stuff if I got nervous.” 

“Was Eugene a close friend?” Ryan asked, curious about Eugene now. Shane smiled wide and nodded. 

“Yeah, the closest. All the demons liked me, though. They told me they wanted me to stay how I was. Eugene was the one that never let me go to Earth, and Ned always backed him up on that.” Shane answered, smiling softly at the memory. “They were great. I miss everyone except for Lucifer.” 

“Why?” Ryan asked. He was confused. Demons were supposed to be menacing! Not friendly! 

“Lucifer is just mean.” Shane answered simply. “He’s always been mean. If anyone did anything wrong, he punished them. He made us do things we didn’t want to, but Eugene and Ned wouldn’t let him bother me much.” 

With that, Ryan slowly began to piece together things about Shane’s past. 

Maybe Shane didn’t see the things that happened to him like humans did, he didn’t recognize it like Ryan did. He studied crime and supernatural for a living, and Lucifer sounded to him like Ed Gein or some shit. They were quiet while Shane munched in the berries until Ryan’s phone rang. 

“Hello?” He asked, picking it up. 

“Ryan! Hey, do you know history? I have a super important question!” Zach’s voice carried through the receiver. Shane’s eyes lit up, hearing it. 

“Hey! Ryan! I know history!” Shane said, and Ryan hesitantly put the phone on speaker. 

“Zach, my friend here is gonna answer your question.” Ryan said, and Shane did. 

In a fucking millisecond. 

Ryan watched Shane answer with immense detail with wide eyes, and then it clicked in his head. Shane could get a job at buzzfeed with that knowledge. He was smart as hell, and how he’d managed to keep that hidden from Ryan shook him a bit. 

When the call ended, Shane was a smiling mess. “I love history so much. Did you know that a bear served in World War II?” 

“Shane, would you mind if I tried to get you a job at the company I work for?” Ryan interrupted, and Shane looked a little uncomfortable at the suggestion. “You can come to work with me every day and I’ll see about getting your desk by mine. You won’t have to worry about bad people, everyone there is amazing!” 

Shane was hesitant. Of course he was, if Ryan had anything to go by “Eugene’s” words about Shane having the worst anxiety he’d seen, and Ryan witnessing it himself. Ryan hummed to himself, thinking of a way to convince Shane. 

“You won’t have to be alone anymore.” He said. 

He knew it was a low blow, stringing Shane right where he knew he’d feel it. Shane was scared when Ryan came home three hours late, obviously he didn’t want to be alone at all. It made Shane nod almost instantly. Ryan felt guilty again. 

“I’ll get you in. Don’t worry.” Ryan smiled, and Shane copied the gesture a little weakly. 

The rest of the day, Ryan showed Shane shitty movies while he typed up an email to his boss. Shane curled up against his side, heavy blankets draped across them both. 

Shane was quiet for the rest of the day, and Ryan tried to keep his mouth shut about more questions he had. He wondered if he’d ever stop formulating them, because his mind was a messy jumble of them for the demon. 

He couldn’t help it, he’d been working in a field that had to do with supernatural beings and he’d finally found one, a real one. How was he not meant to ask questions? 

He figured it was guilt that kept him from mumbling a lot of them. He shouldn’t have even felt guilty, he did nothing wrong, but the idea of someone else wronging Shane made him cringe. 

Ryan didn’t understand. 


	5. Chapter 5

Eugene was convinced that the only thing keeping the demons in hell there was Shane Madej. 

After Lucifer has banished him, demons slowly started to leave. They scattered across earth, picking better places to be. Eugene wondered if any of them had bumped into Shane. He was worried. 

But hell slowly emptied, and Eugene decided to leave himself. Ned would tag along, he wouldn’t want to be left alone in hell. No demon would. They hated it there. 

Lucifer watched with menacing eyes as they did, and Eugene could practically still feel the tension by the time they stood on LA ground. They’d been there a few times before, it was a perfect city for Eugene, and Ned had really hit it off with a woman there. They decided, that if all other demons had abandoned hell and chose a better place on Earth, they would too. 

Eugene was very accustomed to it. Everything about earth and living there. He knew it all, and he’d taught Ned and he fucking wished he got to teach Shane, but that wasn’t the issue. 

The issue was getting jobs and apartments. That was it. He knew once he had a job, he’d be able to pay for everything they needed. He could afford new clothes and food and pay the bills and Ned could help too, but there was no job. There was no house. There was no bank account. 

Because on earth, Eugene wasn’t even a registered person. There was no birth papers, no ID, nothing. He’d figure something out eventually, but he needed a start. 

The start came at a big, brick building with a large sign saying “Help Wanted” And a colorful billboard displaying “Buzzfeed”. 

So they applied, somehow managing to half ass and bullshit their way into the company. It was nice, a decent pay, not a hard job, and great co-workers. Something about it was comforting, it made the two demons feel at home. Maybe it was because the people there acted more like Shane than they did like demons. 

Eugene and Ned’s desks were placed across from two other men’s, Zach and Keith. They didn’t mind it, they could get along with almost anyone. “I’m Eugene! It’s very nice to meet you two.” 

The shorter one smiled wide. “I’m Zach, that’s Keith.” He held his hand out, shaking Eugene’s respectively. 

The whole first day was mainly meeting staff, not that they minded. 

They only minded when a short guy named Ryan Bergara gave them a strange look. 

-

“Hey, Shane!” Ryan smiled, entering his home. Shane was sat at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. He waved at Ryan with a smile. 

“Hi! Work good?” He asked, and Ryan nodded. 

He figured he couldn’t start off with asking about Shane’s old demon friends, so he settled with good news. 

“I have some good news.” Ryan grinned at him, and he looked up from his cereal. “You got the job!” 

Shane smiled weakly again. “That’s, uh, it’s great.” He hardly sounded convincing. Ryan sighed. 

“I know you're nervous. It’ll be okay, I promise you. I’ll be there the whole time literally always. Our desks are gonna be right next to each other.” Ryan said, sitting next to him. Shane shrugged. 

“‘S fine, Ryan. You don’t have to be around always.” He muttered. Ryan frowned. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I don’t want to be a bother.” Shane said quietly, looking like a kicked puppy. Ryan frowned impossibly deeper. “You have a life and I keep hindering you from doing things you want to do because I’m to scared to be alone.” 

“Shane, listen to me.” Ryan said firmly. “You are not a bother. I don’t mind that you don’t want to be alone. I’m always here for you. I want to be.” 

Shane smiled weakly again, letting Ryan lean in to hug him. He hugged back, and pretended his mind wasn’t still plagued with self loathing thoughts and over analyzed ones. 

Ryan wished he could help better. 


	6. Chapter 6

“Ryan, I can’t do Unsolved anymore.” 

Ryan nearly fell out of his chair. 

He whipped around to look at Brent with wide, worried eyes. “What? Brent, last week you literally told me you loved Unsolved!” Ryan stressed. 

“I’m really sorry, Ryan. It’s just not for me.” Brent said, looking truly upset. “I’m just not interested in being in it. I love the show and the idea, but I know nothing we do or see will ever convince me and honestly, I’m not willing to try it anymore.” 

Ryan sighed and put his head in his hands. He peaked up at Brent again. “I don’t have any other options, Brent!” 

“Ask around the office. I’m sure you’ll find someone.” Brent said before leaving. Ryan groaned into his hands, running them through his messed up hair. 

He thought to himself about who he could even ask. Who in this office would be interested in hunting demons for fun? Who else would handle his anxiety when he got scared at locations? 

He types out a paper, deciding to just post it up on the billboard in the office so people could email him if they decided they wanted to join. Ryan regretted even making the show, he felt as if he was the only one interested.

But Ryan posted the paper up anyway, returning to his desk to finish up some editing. 

The day went on as usual, boring, until he came home. It was always a new adventure when Shane was around. 

“Shane, I’m home.” Ryan said as he walked through the door, knowing Shane would be inches away from the landing again as usual. He was, popping around the corner with a large smile, hugging Ryan. 

“Good! I’m hungry, I was too scared to try to make pasta because I didn’t want to burn myself but I’m really craving spaghetti.” Shane smiled sheepishly, pulling away from Ryan. 

Ryan smiled and led him to the kitchen to make the food. He tried to ignore the warm feeling in his chest as Shane leaned on the counter and watched him. 

Something about having Shane around generally made Ryan more happy. It made his days seem shorter, and made him motivated to finish his work so he could get home to Shane. He felt more satisfied with his life than when he graduated college, which was a seriously satisfying feat. 

He couldn’t pinpoint the feeling, but didn’t really go out of his way to do so as he dumped half a bag of frozen meatballs into the spaghetti sauce to heat. 

“So, my boss emailed me today. He wants to interview you before your first day .” Ryan said softly when they sat down at the table, sauce already on Shane’s lips. Shane looked up. 

“What if I fuck it up, Ryan? I can’t do that! He’s gonna ask me something I don’t know and he’ll be like ‘what the fuck is this guys problem’ and He won’t let me have the job, he’ll take it back-“ 

“Shane. Stop. It’ll be okay, don’t worry too much about it.” Ryan interrupted his rambling. “My boss is really nice. He won’t be like that.” 

Shane looked hesitant for a moment before he shrugged with a nod. “I guess.” 

Silence overtook then for a few moments before Ryan decided to tell Shane about what he did there. He figured if Shane got the job, he’d find out and be confused and possibly mad Ryan didn’t tell him sooner. 

“So, I work there right? Everyone’s super nice, and it’s so cool, you get to make your own video ideas and film them and we put them up on YouTube and people watch them.” Ryan said softly, hoping the idea of making his own show would cheer up Shane.

”I have a show called Unsolved.” Ryan said. “I used to do it with Brent, but I need a new buddy now.” 

Shane watched him for a moment, like he was analyzing something in his head. Ryan bit his lip in confusion. 

“I can be your new buddy, Ryan.” Shane said quietly, but Ryan looked a little hesitant. 

“I’m not sure, Shane. You should probably watch it before you want to join it. Plus, it'll be a pretty abrupt introduction to you as a new Internet personality.” Ryan said hesitantly. Shane tried not to look dejected. 

“Oh. Okay.” He said simply, going back to eating his food. 

Dinner was quiet once again after that. 

Ryan felt bad. He almost always did, but he particularly felt bad when he watched Shane finish his food, looking slightly disappointed. He felt bad when Shane didn’t curl up next to him on the couch and stayed quiet through the Tarantino movie on the tv. 

“Shane?” Ryan looked at him. Shane looked back. “You want to, um, watch it? You can see what it’s like. If you like it, I wouldn’t rather have anyone else as a partner than you.” 

Shane’s eyes lit up, and he nodded fast, sitting up a little straighter. Ryan knew in that moment that he was the reason Shane felt bad. It broke his heart as he pulled up a video on his phone. 

Shane watched it with wide eyes, not making any comments until it finished. “I wouldn’t be able to.” He said quickly, handing Ryan’s phone back to him. “‘M tired. I’m gonna go to sleep.” 

Shane slipped off the couch, and was gone before Ryan could even close Youtube. 

_“You truly think he cares for you?”_

_Shane watched him with worried eyes._

_“He doesn’t. He hunts demons! He hates them! You’re nothing but a creature to him!”_

_He was silent._

_“He’ll use you, and expose you, and leave you. You don’t mean anything to him.”_

_“So I don’t mean anything to anybody then, do I?”_

_“No. You don’t, Shane.”_

Shane wishes demons didn’t dream when he woke up in a cold sweat, crying to himself quietly. Lucifer was right, though. 

He meant nothing to everyone. 


	7. Chapter 7

Ryan wished he’d done something differently that night, because Shane was so distant, it was like he wasn’t even there. 

He didn’t talk to Ryan anymore, nor did he wait by the door for Ryan to come home, or eat nearly as much food as he used to. He always passed down movies and went to his room before the sun even set. Ryan felt sick. 

Shane was drifting away, impossibly far. Farther than Ryan ever wanted him to be. It made his stomach churn like how it used to, in highschool right before he had to go up and read his presentations for classrooms of asshole students. It made his hands sweat nervously. 

But he reminded himself that it wasn’t about him, but Shane. It was about how scary this situation had become, after knowing the demon for about two months and being so used to the clingy, childlike man, that as soon as he stopped, it was like he was hardly living anymore. Maybe it was different for demons, and they didn’t need as much to survive. It still made Ryan feel off-kilter constantly. 

His focus at work was gone. He was worried about Shane. He forgot entirely about the Unsolved issue, only worried about Shane, and  didn’t do any of the editing he was meant to do.   

Ryan eventually found himself posting an “I’m terribly sorry, but Unsolved will be taking a break..” note on his Twitter. 

Shane, however, found himself thinking about leaving. 

He knew he had it made here, in Ryan’s home, getting everything he needed, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was a bother. He was holding Ryan back, he was using his things, and Ryan didn’t fucking care about him. 

He wanted to leave, but he wouldn’t. He knew his anxiety would peak the moment he stepped outside the house, and he’d probably freak out and end up in a ditch somewhere, probably dead. 

So he just stayed silent and out of the way. 

Or at least, until Ryan finally said something. 

“Did I do something?” Ryan asked at the dinner table. He put his fork down on his plate, forgetting entirely about the pork chop. “You’re so distant lately, Shane, and I know were just friends and all but I’m so fuckin’ worried about you.” 

Shane went quiet, watching Ryan with confused eyes. 

“You never talk to me anymore, you don’t wanna watch any movies, you hardly eat, and you never wait for me and greet me when I get home and I sound selfish but I miss it. What’s going on?” Ryan questioned, looking almost desperate. “What did I do?” 

“You didn’t do anything.” Shane said. He was at a loss for words, living the past week under his own overthinking and shit dream’s idea that Ryan didn’t like him. “It wasn’t you.” 

“Then What was it? Shane, you’re scaring me.” Ryan spoke quietly. 

“I, uh, I’m not who you want for Unsolved.” Shane swallowed as he spoke. “I can’t do it, because I’m not like Brent. I can’t say I don’t believe in ghosts and demons because I know they’re real and I can’t be your partner for that. I feel bad. I’m living in your house and using your shit and your money and I’m not contributing and you know what? I honestly can’t stop thinking, Ryan.” 

“I keep thinking I’m nothing to you, and I can’t do anything about it.” Shane confessed. He felt his chest swell in a painful, uncomfortable way. He bit his lip and looked down, hoping he wouldn’t cry. 

“Shane..” Ryan stared at him, heartbroken eyes watching him. “Why would you think I don’t care about you?” 

He was silent. 

“You mean more to me than you know. It sounds strange, I’ve only known you for two months, but I haven’t cared about someone this much in a very very long time.” Ryan said, worriedly watching Shane still. “I took you in. I told you to stay, and I meant it. I want you to be here. You’re not a bother at all.” 

Shane was quiet, pushing back his chair and standing up. He looked on the verge of tears as he took a few steps closer to Ryan, waiting until Ryan stood. When he did, Shane quickly hugged him, closing his eyes tight and squeezing Ryan just as tight. 

Ryan hugged him back, holding the demon close. He bit down on his lip. 

“Please don’t change your mind about me.” Shane whispered, his voice coming out almost broken. It made Ryan’s heart wrench. 

“I couldn’t dream of it.” Ryan said honestly. 

They became silent, Ryan holding the demon in his arms until they realized how cold their food had become. “We should probably eat some more of this.” 

Shane smiled and nodded a bit, slipping away from Ryan and sitting back down to eat. It felt normal again. Ryan loved it.

-

The next morning, Ryan woke up to his phone blearing an alarm. He turned over in his bed, finding that Shane had ended up beside him at some point. He didn’t mind, smiling at the sleeping guy.

He turned over, slamming the STOP button on his alarm. Ryan slid out of the bed, about to leave without waking up Shane before he realized why his alarm was set so early. “Shane! Today’s your first day!” He grinned, going back to the bed. 

Shane grumbled and turned over. 

Ryan laughed slightly to himself, continuing with the task of waking Shane up and getting him to look presentable enough for an interview. He wouldn’t lie to himself, that Shane in clothes that were meant to be worn outside of the house, was significantly more attractive than Shane in Ryan’s old PJ’s that were too tight on him. 

Shane looked nervous, rubbing his hands on his knees when he got in Ryan’s car. Ryan turned the radio on in hopes of distracting him. It hardly worked. 

They got there, the bright sign filling Shane’s vision. “You work here?” He questioned Ryan. 

Ryan nodded. “Yep, it’s pretty cool inside. C’mon, I’ll take you to his office.” 

Shane bit down on his lip and nodded, getting out of the car and hesitantly following Ryan to the doors of the building. The hallways were like a maze to Shane, several doors and rooms and elevators. He hoped Ryan wouldn’t accidentally take him to the wrong place. 

Ryan didn’t, though, and he knocked on the door to the office for Shane with a smile. Shane tried to keep his nerves on the down-low, though his anxiety was radiating off him like heat. 

The tall man opened the door, smiling at the sight of Ryan and Shane. “Hello, you must be Shane Madej?” 

Shane nodded, trying to smile. “Y-yeah, that’s me.” He stuttered a bit, internally kicking himself for the fuck up. 

“Ryan, could you excuse us for a moment?” He asked, moving so Shane could enter his office. Ryan nodded, respectively going to his desk. 

He waited for the meeting to finish, tapping his fingers on his desk while the clock ticked and more people started to spill into the office. Most of the seats were filled up by the time Ryan looked up, only a few of his co-workers out of their seats. 

One of which, was walking right towards him. 

“I saw what you posted.” Eugene said. He stood tall, though not as tall as Shane, leaning against Ryan’s desk a bit. “I think you should-“ 

“Ryan?” Shane interrupted, not realizing it was Eugene who looked over his roommate. (Oh my god, they were roommates.) 

Ryan snapped his head to look at Shane, a bit concerned. “Yeah?” He questioned, holding a single finger up to Eugene for him to wait a moment. “How’d it go? Not so bad, right?” 

“I don’t think he liked me.” He mumbled, shifting on his feet and looking down. “He said I have the job but I dunno, he seemed suspicious or something.” 

Ryan quickly slid out of his chair, taking the few steps to close the space between him and Shane. “I’m sure he liked you. It’s impossible not to. You’re - you!” 

Shane let out a weak laugh, looking up. He turned his head a bit when he noticed the other figure, his eyes widening. 

He didn’t move for a moment, only staring directly at Eugene in silence before he let out “You’re short!” 

Eugene laughed loud. He laughed so loud half the office looked over, but he didn’t care. He reached over, quickly pulling Shane into an impossibly tight hug. “And you’re tall. And alive.” 

Shane hugged back, squeezing his eyes shut. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Everyone assumed-“ Eugene cut himself off, remembering that Ryan was there. “Wait.” 

Shane pulled back, looking confused. “Hmm?” 

“How do you know Ryan?” Eugene questioned suspiciously. 

Shane shrugged a bit. “He took me in. I’ve been living with him since I got here.” 

He looked at Ryan, who seemed slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. “Does He-“ 

“know? Yeah.” Shane cut him off, biting his lip. “He guessed. He’s smart, Ryan could probably tell one of us from a mile away.” 

“Not true, I didn’t know this was the Eugene you’ve told me about.” Ryan laughed weakly, and Eugene seemed to ease up around him. 

“You told him about me?” 

“And Ned.” 

“Why?” 

“He asked.” 


End file.
